Release Time ~ DARK DEALINGS

Whee! release day! I’m on a fantasy kick at the minute and Dark Dealings was a lot of fun to write. Wild magic, thieves, ambition and well, a hero that still turns my legs to jelly… 😀

There are monsters in the city. And one of them is her…

Ava Kalle’s empty soul devours magic. And her hunger is deadly. She’s sharp, quick and can live in shadow, making her work as a spy for the Mages a natural choice. She lives on the fringes of society and likes it that way.

When the man she loves takes another woman for his mate, the darkness in her heart unravels and she’ll do anything to get him back. She makes a dangerous deal with a fire elemental, Heyerdar, who has a vested interest in agreeing: together they’ll use forbidden magic, harnessing their sexual energy to drive the couple apart.

But soon their pact pushes them both into a dark sexual obsession. One that Ava may not be able to control…

Carina Press || Amazon US || Amazon UK

Amazon de || Barnes and Noble || ARe

You can read an excerpt here

Cover Love: DARK DEALINGS…

There are monsters in the city. And one of them is her…

Ava Kalle’s empty soul devours magic. And her hunger is deadly. She’s sharp, quick and can live in shadow, making her work as a spy for the Mages a natural choice. She lives on the fringes of society and likes it that way.

But when the man she loves takes another woman for his mate, the darkness in her heart unravels and she’ll do anything to get him back. She makes a dangerous deal with a fire elemental, Heyerdar, who has a vested interest in agreeing: together they’ll use forbidden magic, harnessing their sexual energy to drive the couple apart.

But soon their pact pushes them both into a dark sexual obsession. One that Ava may not be able to control…

Sale to Carina Press! Agamemnon Frost trilogy

I’m in a bit of a *squee* state as my editor at Carina Press, Deb Nemeth, said yes to my first series with them!

The name might give it away, but the Agamemnon Frost trilogy, is an m/m, not-quite-steampunk romance, set in late Victorian Liverpool. It’s always surprised me that there’s so little steampunk set here, what with it being the second city of the British Empire and all… (My bias may be showing. I live in Liverpool, after all 😀 )

Here’s the blurb for the first novella, Agamemnon Frost and the House of Death.

                                     §

The British Empire has changed. By 1891, monstrous machines replace men on the field of battle and with these weapons, the Empire’s grip on its territories strengthens.

Official history says the machines came from a recovered book written by Hero, the mechanical genius working in Alexandria almost two thousand years before. Edgar Mason doesn’t care. He only knows that the machines have landed him back in England to work as a domestic servant. For men like Agamemnon Frost.

He believes Frost to be a dandy, concerned more with the fine cut of his waistcoat than world affairs but there’s more to him than meets the eye. Something about the man triggers Mason’s sharp instincts at their first meeting. Especially the forbidden ones. But those instincts he has to ignore.

Mason becomes swept up in Frost’s world and in a single, impossible night, the man’s dandy facade vanishes. It reveals the heart of a man who will face down England’s most dangerous enemy. No matter the cost.

§

The other two novellas are, Agamemnon Frost and The Hollow Ships and Agamemnon Frost and the Crown of Towers.

Yes, there could be a little bit of an Iliad mash-up in there too… 😀

I don’t have a firm date yet, but expect these novellas in 2013. You can read a little Behind the Scenes snippet, here

Bitter Harvest: Excerpt and link to giveaways

Bitter Harvest is out today!  And here’s a short little excerpt. The chance to win all six of Carina Press’s m/m releases this week is below the cut 🙂

Bitter Harvest
(c) Kim Knox 2012

The chains creaked above their heads and Rider leaned forward. Sutton didn’t flinch, even though his prisoner’s mouth was millimetres from his own. If he was infected, the danger was very real. Even a drop of saliva contained enough nano-forms to infect him.

His want was irrational. He had a natural skill and the training to withstand the surge of apian pheromones. But,    the need to fist his fingers in Rider’s wild hair and take his mouth burned in him.

“Who’s your type?” Rider paused and the hot shine in his eyes made thinking difficult. “Because, right now, you want nothing more than to take me and fuck me. Do it, Lieutenant.” He wet his lips. “Do it now.”

Continue reading “Bitter Harvest: Excerpt and link to giveaways”

Latest Release: Bitter Harvest

Bitter Harvest cover

It’s 2050, and humans are an endangered species. Lieutenant Robert Sutton has survived the collapse of civilization by luck, his wits, and a chance mutation that makes him immune to the nano-virus that has wiped out millions.

Now, his compound of survivors is surrounded by the infected, who are driven by the need to spread the contagion through sex. It is only a matter of time before they attack. So when Sutton is assigned to interrogate a prisoner who claims to have overcome the infection, he immediately suspects a trap…

Nicholas Rider may have survived the virus, but he’s a changed man, ruled by his desires. But his need for Sutton is different. Rider craves an end to his overwhelming needs, and Sutton could be the man to do it.

Secure in his belief that he’s invulnerable, Sutton can’t understand or resist his intense attraction to his prisoner. Will Rider be his downfall–or his savior?

Carina || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Amazon DE || Barnes and Noble

And congratulations to all the other authors in Carina’s first m/m week 🙂

You can read an excerpt here

There’s also a Behind the Scenes look at the novella here

Reviews, reviews, reviews!

Netgalley has been good to me and seriously swamped SYNTHETIC DREAMS with reviews. It’s been great 😀
So here are snips from some:

5 stars
“If you looked up the definition of Science-Fiction Romance, it should simply say “Kim Knox.”
http://tammys1.blogspot.com/2012/02/synthetic-dreams-by-kim-knox-carina.html

4.5 stars.
“okay, seriously awesome stuff here..It was just so so good!
Synthetic dreams took me completely be surprise, it’s so,so far beyond what I was expecting, I’m still reeling! it’s a well told engrossing read…with strong, interesting characters…”
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/284022540

4 stars
“This short sci-fi tale is sophisticated and well-written. The complexity of the setting only highlights the characterization of Vyn and Paul, and Vyn’s unraveling of her circumstances reads as a tense and exciting thriller.”
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/266267433

“If you enjoy sci-fi, action and romance that you’ll enjoy this story too! Although I’m not an expert on Science Fiction, if it’s anything like what Kim Knox writes, well then I’ve found a new favorite genre.”
http://www.literarysweet.com/2012/02/book-review-synthetic-dreams-by-kim.html

4 stars:
“The story has the perfect pacing. Smooth and flowing with a lot of action. It never felt rushed, it never felt too overly packed, and it also never dragged. I think the most compelling thing is that I literally can’t tell you anything about the story without giving something away. Hell, just telling you that it was a love story felt like too much.”
http://puretextuality.com/2012/02/24/review-by-ginnylurcock-synthetic-dreams-by-by-kim-knox-release-date-22712-kimknox/

B review
“…Ms Knox never takes the journey I am expecting with her work. She threw several twists into this one some of which made me glad I don’t live in a fully wired world. One of the things I enjoyed is how Paul and Vyn traded being the person who had to take charge to ensure that they were able to escape the grip of the Corporation. Overall the world-building, the twists, and how Vyn grew were what carried this book for me.”
http://thebookpushers.com/2012/02/28/review-synthetic-dreams-by-kim-knox/

Latest Release: SYNTHETIC DREAMS

Vynessa Somerton was just a girl when she learned about true evil. An encounter with the tyrannical Corporation scarred her body and exiled her to the crime-ridden S-District. Now an adult, Vyn creates glamours, worn by those who visit a virtual playground to live synthetic dreams. She’s tried to stay unnoticed by the Corporation, but her latest invention has brought their agents to her door.

Paul Cross works for the Corporation, but he’s been plotting their downfall since they took his brother and replaced him with an imposter. Paul has a plan to get his brother back, but he’s going to need Vyn and her invention to carry it out.

Vyn agrees to help Paul, but their alliance shatters the barriers she’s put up to protect herself, tempting her to give in to desire. Just as Vyn starts to trust Paul and believe he wants her, scars and all, the Corporation prepares for its final move. Can Vyn trust Paul completely, or has he been using her all along?

You can read an excerpt here

There’s also a Behind the Scenes look at the novella here

Carina Press || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Amazon DE || ARe || B&N

Six Sentence Sunday: Synthetic Dreams

I meant to do this earlier in the week…and didn’t. See me? So completely organised! But I made it in the nick of time 😀

This week’s six is a snippet of a book that’s coming out tomorrow, Synthetic Dreams. Enjoy!

His breath burned against her skin. “Liam was replaced. Seven years ago.”

“And you’re here now?”

His hands flexed around her arms, his body tense. “Don’t taunt the man who’s keeping you alive.”

As always you can find more sixes here

Vynessa Somerton was just a girl when she learned about true evil. An encounter with the tyrannical Corporation scarred her body and exiled her to the crime-ridden S-District. Now an adult, Vyn creates glamours, worn by those who visit a virtual playground to live synthetic dreams. She’s tried to stay unnoticed by the Corporation, but her latest invention has brought their agents to her door.

Paul Cross works for the Corporation, but he’s been plotting their downfall since they took his brother and replaced him with an imposter. Paul has a plan to get his brother back, but he’s going to need Vyn and her invention to carry it out.

Vyn agrees to help Paul, but their alliance shatters the barriers she’s put up to protect herself, tempting her to give in to desire. Just as Vyn starts to trust Paul and believe he wants her, scars and all, the Corporation prepares for its final move. Can Vyn trust Paul completely, or has he been using her all along?

Carina Press || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Amazon DE || ARe || B&N

Sales to Cleis Press and Carina Press! *squee*

Busy start to the year!

First, I can say that my short story, AT THE SORCERER’S COMMAND will appear in Cleis Press’s THRONES OF DESIRE: EROTIC TALES OF SWORD, MIST AND FIRE, edited by Mitzi Szereto. The pre-order link is up now 😀

Here’s my blurb:

Miar is her people’s only hope to defeat the sorcerer who has besieged her home.  She has an unusual talent. She’s a soul-catcher, able to twist any soul to her will. And Varun, the man who must guard her, is willing to use her and her gift anyway he can.

And the anthology blurb:

Thrones of Desire: Erotic Tales of Swords, Mist and Fire is a place where lust and legend abound, and adventure, passion and danger entwine. Think mystical lands and creatures, kings and queens, knights and renegades, heroes and villains, warlords, maidens and princesses. Think battles and danger, honour and dishonour, good and evil. Most of all, think hearts filled with passion and secret desire.

This is a place where romantic chivalry is alive and well, but so too is romantic wickedness. This is a place where the good do not always win, and the bad are often more captivating and desirable than their altruistic counterparts.

In these lush and timeless landscapes, the battle for flesh can be as important as the battle for power. Intrigue, sorcery, revenge, lawlessness, dark secrets and mysterious elixirs; entanglements with supernatural beings – everything is possible in these magical mythical landscapes.

I’ve also sold my dark fantasy , erotic romance novel, ONCE A THIEF to Carina Press. It’s set for release in the autumn. Here’s the unofficial blurb:

Ava Kalle is a thief. Her empty soul devours magic, but she’s sharp, quick and can live in shadow. She’s the perfect spy.

When the man she loves takes another woman, the darkness at Ava’s heart unravels. Her attempt to stop the relationship drives her to do the unthinkable.  She makes a deal with the elemental, Captain Nahum Heyerdar. It’s a pact that pushes them into tasting forbidden magic, spinning them both into a dark and dangerous sexual obsession.

When Devourers break through the protecting wards of the city and start to kill and eat the emperor’s subjects, Ava’s tangled life becomes more twisted.  Her past and the dark heart of what she is, pushes into the light.

There are monsters in the city. And one of them is her.

Cover Love: Bitter Harvest

Isn’t it nice? Here’s the unofficial blurb:

It’s 2050, and humans are an endangered species. Lieutenant Robert Sutton has survived the collapse of civilization by luck, his wits, and a chance mutation that makes him immune to the nano-virus that has wiped out millions. Now, his compound of survivors is surrounded by the infected, who are driven by the need to spread the contagion through sex. It’s only a matter of time before they attack. So when Sutton is assigned to interrogate a prisoner who claims to have overcome the infection, he immediately suspects a trap…

Nicholas Rider may have survived the virus, but he’s a changed man, ruled by his desires. But his need for Sutton is different. Rider craves an end to his overwhelming needs, and Sutton could be the man to do it.

Secure in his belief that he’s invulnerable, Sutton can’t understand or resist his intense attraction to his prisoner. Will Rider be his downfall—or his saviour?

BITTER HARVEST is out 19 March from Carina Press.